Tuesday 20 March 2007

... iLL ...

I'm really ill. So i will blog to you when i'm better. I have really bad tonsilitus :) but i thought i better let you know i haven't forgotten about you :)

This cheered me up though. You HAVE to watch it... And let me know if you found it as hysterically hilarious as me...

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php

I will blog to you as soon as i feel up to it, meant to be going to Northern Ireland this weekend, hopefully i will be better! Talk soon!

Monday 12 March 2007

A Little Post... I Think...

OK, so i haven't blogged about anything substantial for a while (if at all :P), but i have been so busy this week. And i am so tired now i could cry. But i thought as i was checking my e-mail, i would write a little blog with a few of my not-so-deep thoughts in it, so that i know i'm still capable of thinking more than anything else :)

It was the children's meeting at church tonight, my Gorgeous Cousin came, she's only 2 and a half, but she really enoyed it, she did (or attempted to do) all the actions to the choruses and made friends with one of the little girls who comes. We also had one new little boy and his sister who has been once before, so that was encouraging.

Anyway, in the story my Mum mentioned Leviticus 11:45, anyway i looked it up and it struck me... I will explain.

Lev. 11:45 "For i am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for i am holy."

Also, on the subject of holiness, 1 Peter 1:16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for i am holy."

It isn't really on the matter of OUR holiness that i am writing about, although i am sure it will pop up in the future... But about unredeemed man's attitudes to God's holiness.

It's astounding to me, when you ask a non-believer (and some believers) about sin, and then go on to ask how many of the 10 commandments they have broken and they respond with something along the lines of (e.g.) "Well i've never killed anyone, and i only tell white lies and they don't count... And not shopping on a Sunday is out-dated..." yet the person/s in question STILL think that they are good enough to get to heaven when they die, to be in the presence of Almighty, Perfect God without asking for any type of forgiveness.
Adam was given one commandment to obey, and as a result of him disobeying it, he was banished from having perfect communion with God on earth and thrown out of the garden of Eden... Among other things... And that was just from disobeying ONE commandment ONCE. Why, WHY, do people think that they are somehow "good" enough to get to heaven by works? My conclusion is that those who do not know Him simply cannot grasp just HOW holy, perfect and all-knowing God is. And i think that we as believers can sometimes forget it as well :)

I have no idea if that was random or not, or if it made sense. I will probably read it tomorrow and think "What was i on?".
The answer is, a 2 year old. Pure exhaustion. Although i am partly to blame, however hard i try i can't seem to get to bed before midnight. Oh well :D

If you read this, can you please leave me a comment and make me feel loved? I like getting comments from people :) haha, blog to you soon! God bless :)

Laughed So Hard I Cried...

Before you read this, i have a very strange sense of humour. I found a quotes page, and i have cut and paste some of the funny ones in here, too funny to miss!

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. (IMHO: The funniest!)

My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

If you can't fix it with duck tape you haven't used enough.

"I didn't lose my mind, I sold it on ebay."

Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway.

Honk If Anything Falls Off.

I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To.

" WARNING: in case of rapture, this car will be driverless. " (NOTE: I don't believe in secret rapture but i just found this amusing :D)

Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

Only Five Days!!!!

Until i go and meet up with Jo and Hannah for the day! Lock your doors, barricade your windows, we will be... UNCONTROLLABLE!!!

I currently have a large amount of energy in my system. It's making me feel very happy :)

This was a slightly random blog entry, i will blog more seriously later :) God bless!

Friday 9 March 2007

A Quick Post...

Just wanted to share a verse... I have been so busy this week that i haven't really had time to sit and write a blog that i could think about. SO i will share this with you and then i have to go and finish my jobs :)

Matthew 6:25 - 32 - "Therefore i say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet i say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

I read that this morning, it was a Word in season, i worry far too much about the future when i need to remember that God is in control of everything, i need to keep my eyes heavenward. Feeling a bit down today... I just have to remember that i have nothing to feel down about, i'm saved, i'm going to Heaven and God loves me :D

Tuesday 6 March 2007

An Article Before Bed... More Like A Rant!

I am very aware that the more i blog, the further down my post on the AV goes, so if you are reading this and have not read the AV post, then please make sure you do :)

I was reading The British Church Newspaper earlier on, i don't know if any of you are suscribed to it, but there is an article on the front page that is clear proof that absolutely NO Christian who calls themselves reformed or is serving God with a passion should be involved in the Ecumenical movement. We are called to be seperate and that's what we shall be, how can we have fellowship with those who have a completely different concept of Salvation and Calvary than we do, putting all other matters aside, Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?". If you are not yet convinced then read this:

Anglicans and Baptists Hear Talk from White Witch - exclusive - by a correspondent.

A practising witch challenged Christian beliefs at an interfaith gathering including Christian leaders in Bishop's Stortford.
Ms Sarah Daisy, a self-proclaimed "practising white witch", addressed about 50 members of "Stort Interfaith" on 20 February at the United Reformed Hall, Water Lane, Bishop's Stortford. Stort Interfaith is an association, long established, for those living in or near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
Training people to cast spells
Ms Daisy said that there was no such personality as Satan, adding that this was a recent invention by Christianity which was junior to the more established "ancient" pagan religions.She said her group helped train people to cast spells, but that this was only "white, good witchcraft" and not "dark magic", where spells and curses were cast "without people's permission". The term "black" magic was no longer used, she explained, as it could cause offence on racial grounds.
"Fascinating insight to satanism"
During her talk she handed out invitations to a series of "pagan profile" evenings, held in Mildenhall, Suffolk, a spring equinox ritual on 24 March, and a talk on 27 March by "Chris" which it was said would provide "a fascinating insight into Satanism". A talk in May will look at "different takes on Shamanism". Ms Daisy's group holds regular "family friendly events" to encourage families into paganism and "white witchcraft". Only one mildly critical voice was raised at this meeting, despite leaders from four seperate Christian denominations being present.
Churches Together
Stort Interfaith developed from what was originally a Christian ecumenical "Churches Together" group in Bishop's Stortford, established in the 1970's. it is now affiliated to a regional grouping, East Of England Interfaith. the group is a part of the developing "Interfaith Network for the UK", whose co-chairs are Rt. Rev. Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, who recently had difficulties explaining an incident following a drinks reception at the Irish Embassy, and Sikh Jagjiwa Singh.
The Interfaith Network has established strong regional associations, whose boundaries coincide with those currently used for elections to the European Parliament.
It has dozens of member bodies, including the Council of African and Afro-Caribbean Churches, The Roman Catholic Comittee for Other Faiths, The British Muslim Forum, The Buddhist Society, The Hindu Council, The Regents Park Islamic Cultural Centre, Jamiat-e-Ulama Britain (the Association of Muslim Scholars), The Muslim Council of Britain, and Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe.
Seven "religious" groups belong to the Stort Interfaith group: Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and United Reformed, plus members of the Quakers, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Baha'i faith.

Work...


This is what i have to put up with... He's a regular cutomer and the thing on his head is a pizza delivery bag... He did it with no provocation...

My New Book...


I started writing a post earlier, and then somehow managed to delete the entire thing JUST before i published it, which is rather annoying to say the least. So i will start again and hopefully this one will make it to my main page, otherwise i'm just some crazy girl blogging to herself...

Before i start, i hope everyone had a blessed Sabbath :D

So, my new book... It's so beautiful! A classic, i don't read modern novels, they're written for instant pleasure and gratification, full of gossip and immoral behaviour, not at all beneficial for expanding ones mind, vocabulary etc. and they are, generally, just trashy reading. But anyway, it's The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, seen the film and the stage production but haven't read the book yet. The actual copy of the book is absolutely beautiful, published by The Collector's Library, it's hardback with gilt edges... I've attatched a picture which doesn't do it ANY justice but you get the jist :) not that i'm obsessed... Can't wait to get reading it, but i may wait until i've finished one of the 4 i am currently part-way through reading!
My favourite book (secular) has to be Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, if you've never read it then i HIGHLY recommend it :D i love Wuthering Heights as well... And Vanity Fair was excellent, although not by a Bronte sister :) I don't get along very well with Charles Dickens, he's too voluble and takes too long to get to the point (much like myself!), and i don't get "into" the story until i'm about half-way through it. But anyway haha that was quite random... If anybody has read any good books recently that they would recommend then let me know :D

I meant to blog yesterday, but we were really busy, which can only be a good thing! We had the estate agent coming round in the afternoon to take pictures and measurements for the leaflet for our house. So we got up early and spent the morning making the house look respectable enough to have it's photographs taken. There will be a virtual guide to it online soon, so i will blog the link, just because it's so cool! Haha, it's the only opportunity most people will get of seeing our house clutter-free :)

Well, i'm going to go, i'm blogging another entry quickly after this one, just so you can see what i have to deal with at work... And if i'm not too exhausted i will blog a few thoughts when i get home :D so God bless, and ciao for now! Blog to you later :)

Friday 2 March 2007

Thankfulness...

How often do we truly thank the Lord for everything He has done for us, and the mercies he bestows on us each day?

Just heading to bed, not a very long post but i'm just finishing one on why i read the AV and no other :D so for now, good night and God bless :) xXx

Strictly AV...

A much debated and controversial topic indeed... So i thought i would put my two-penneth in, and let my "readers" know my beliefs on it.

Now as you know, i'm not a "bear of very many brains" and the following thoughts are one i have gleaned from studying and praying over different pieces of literature about different versions... I will put my reasons for being AV first, and then i will list the differences in texts, or lack of them in the modern versions, or some of them at least, just to prove my point. I pray that you would approach this piece with an open mind, and don't take the version you use for granted, study it and find out for yourself why you read it and what your convictions are concerning it. I hope that this makes sense, i apologise for any grammatical or spelling mistakes that may occur :)

I have been brought up using the AV, my mum came out of a wildly charasmatic church, and several churches because of their ecumenical stances, and as she came out of them she studied in-depth the modern translations and the AV (she was previously NIV). Now as i have grown up, she has explained this to me, why she changed versions etc. and encouraged me to make my own choices and decide my own convictions, which are decided upon the AV. I think to some degree, the church you belong to decides what version you will use, especially if you have been attending it since you were very little, it's just the natural course of things. it doesn't mean you stick with using that once you get older, but in my case i did and do :) My church is AV, it was set up about 12 years ago and is now a constituted part of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, Calvanistic in doctrine etc. etc., there is a link to the website on my "Escape Routes".

Deuteronomy 4:2 - "Ye shall not add unto the word which i command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which i command you."

Galatians 1:6 & 9 - "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:... As we said before, so say i now again, If any man preach and other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

I begin, the reason i hold to the Authorised Version of the Scriptures is this: i believe that it is the closest translation to the original God-inspired, infallible manuscripts, the Textus Receptus and the Masoretic Text. We are SO blessed to have God's Word in our own language, and no, i do not believe that the AV is a perfect translation, i do not believe that it is inerrant or infallible. I believe that the original texts are, but not all of us have the blessing of being able to understand Greek and Hebrew, and praise the Lord, he has provided us with a good translation of the Scriptures in our own tongue.

Where did it all go wrong then? Why don't i believe that the "modern" versions of Scripture can be trusted? As i said, although i read the AV, i don't think it's perfect, so what are my problems with the new versions of Scripture? My problem is that they were translated, either wholly or partly, using a faulty and corrupted manuscript. The corruption can be traced back to 200 A.D. when there lived one of the world's most foremost theologians whose name was Origen. He was a textual critic and is supposed to have "corrected" various portions of the original manuscript. Evidence to the contary shows us that he actually changed them to suit his own human philosophy of mystical and allegorical ideas. They consistenly undermine the deity of our Lord and cut out important verses, e.g. Act.s 8:37 and Matthew 18:11. If you look in any modern version, these 2 verses are completely omitted. Altogether there are 650 variants in the modern versions, regularly changing "Christ" to "Jesus", missing "Jesus" out altogether, and often missing WHOLE VERSES out.

The passage which struck me most was that in Luke 4:4 (concerning Christ's temptation in the wilderness), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." [emphasis mine]

In the NIV it reads as follows:
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' "

Where is the most important part of the quote? But by every word of God. And it's completely missing. That was one of the verses that convinced me, another was this, John 5:6 (concerning the man with the infirmity by the pool of Bethesda), in my AV Bible it reads as follows:
"And Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" [emphasis mine]

In the NIV it reads as follows:
"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" [emphasis mine]

As we can see, the NIV clearly undermines the deity of Christ, undermines the fact that He is the all-knowing, all-powerful Son of God, becuase he had to LEARN that the man had been infirm for a long time.

Compare the following verses from the four Gospels with an AV and an NIV and make your own conclusion:

Matthew - 1.25, 4.18, 5.44, 8.29, 16.20, 17.21, 18.11, 19.9, 23.14
Mark - 2.17, 6.11, 7.16, 9.44, 9.46, 11.26, 15.28, 16.9-20
Luke - 2.33, 4.4 & 8, 7.22, 11.2,4 & 11, 12.31, 17.36, 22.44, 22.57, 23.17, 24.40
John - 1.18, 3.2, 5.4, 6.69, 7.53-8.11, 9.35, 16.16, 19.39


Now i am no great theologian, i'm not particularly clever, i rely on God's grace alone to help me understand His precious Word, but this is my conviction and i will stick with it until God shows me otherwise. I have shared with you my views as best as i can. I will leave you with this verse: "These [the Bereans] were more noble that those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Search the Scriptures, don't take my Word for it, i'm only human.

Thursday 1 March 2007

A Few Thoughts Before Bed...

I'm getting an early night tonight, due to stil not being able to talk properly and feeling generally achey and full of cold. I'm not sure how many thoughts are going to be in this blog... The sound of Charlie destroying a plastic bottle is distracting me and my head feels like it's in the clouds haha.

I was reading a little booklet earlier, it was about reading the Bible, and the most effective way to do it. Now i have heard people say that you shouldn't read huge amounts in one go because it can be "confusing" and you should meditate on one piece of Scripture at a time, and i have heard people say you should read lots and lots regularly to familiarise yourself with the different passages etc. This booklet basically said to do both, read as much as you can whilst taking it in, so as to familiarise yourself with it and then to meditate on maybe one or two verses a day. I thought that sounded like a logical idea... I'm aiming to read the Bible through at least twice this year, using two different plans and seeing which is the most effective.

I accepted Christ as my Saviour when i was nearly 8 years old, but i was backslidden from about the age of 9 to 15. So i'm a relatively young Christian... I have a general knowledge about the Bible, but i want to know more, and i can't read and comprehend enough to satisfy my want, so i decided i needed to find a logical plan to follow and pray that God will open His Word to me as i follow that reading plan and see how it goes. I'm not very clever, i rely on the grace of God to reveal things to me, and in secualr matters i am probably what you would describe as "blonde". I do enjoy a good debate though. But i have the Bible, it's enough for me, even if i don't understand all the complicated doctrinal terms haha i'll get there in the end.

This morning i came across John 15:13 in my daily reading, and it kind of struck me, this is what it says: "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

Christ died on the cross for us, he suffered and died, and shed his precious Blood, all to save us from an eternity in Hell... Talk about unsurpassable love... And we have to love each other as Christ loved us, even our enemies. But if we have no love in our hearts, we can have no relationship with Christ, because we will never be able to comprehend just how great a sacrifice He made for us or why He did it. We must love those who are lost, in order to want to witness to them and win them to Christ... And love those who frustrate and possibly annoy us so that we are not un-Christian... Someone once said to me "In everything you do, be a Christian" and it's so true, we need to apply it to every dimension of our lives!

But those are the few thoughts that have been occupying my small brain today... I wonder how many people got to the bottom of this without falling asleep haha. But i will blog to you later, as now i am going to read and get some sleep! Good night and God bless to you all!

A Post of Random Little Thoughts...

I blog FAR too much. You'd know, you're reading it haha. The entries will become significantly less regular when i've finished painting my room etc. but i have so much to talk about at the minute, so much i want to share with everyone, that i'm enjoying blogging "too much". I really do have better things to be getting on with, but like i said, it won't be for very much longer.

My posts are way too long, but i can't help typing fast... I think if my typing were slower, my "readers" would be spared alot of boredom. And i think more people would get to the bottom of my entries.

I discovered today that when i get over-excited, my nose bleeds. I had thought this for a while but was waiting for my next bout of hyper-activity to test out my theory. I was right. I get giddy alot, i tend to be a very exciteable individual, but just now and then one little episode occurs and then... Well my nose bleeds apparently.

I console myself with the fact that i am sensible when i need to be, and if everybody were sensible all the time, the world would be a very boring place. Like it or lump it :D

Leaving this...

I was walking the dog this morning, and i had to take a couple of pictures... I had some in my phone anyway, from when i've been walking and it's just been too beautiful to miss the photo opportunity, so i thought i would put them up here so you can see how awesome it is :D every time i go out and see how phenomenal the sunset/sunrise is, or look out at the stars in the evening, it puts me in complete awe of God's creation... I will miss it for sure! And it looks like we might be moving to a city... I will have to find someplace else to admire creation and how marvellous my God is :D